Manure is a natural by-product of animals and is considered a great addition to the soil of a garden. However, manure should be cured to kill any bacteria, parasites, or weed seeds that may be present. Gardeners can obtain manure from farmers that have chickens, cows, horses, and rabbits, but they will may need to learn how to cure manure themselves.

Steps

1

Choose a suitable area for the manure compost pile or bins. Take into consideration prevailing winds, neighbors, and water runoff when choosing where to put your pile.

2

Build composting bins or create a manure pile. Some people may choose to build 2 or 3 box structures side-by-side so that pile is contained. There are also various ready-made composters available at garden supply or hardware stores. If you are not using composting bins, the manure pile should be at least 3x3x3 and no larger than 5x5x5.

3

Add manure and other organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, animal bedding, ash from a fireplace, and table scraps such as fruit, egg shells, and vegetables.

4

Roll the curing manure pile weekly. The manure will need to be exposed to air to cure properly. Do this by either flipping the manure pile into the next composting bin or moving the center of the pile to the outside and the outside edges to the center. This will allow the manure to cure evenly throughout the pile.

If you are using the pile method, you can aerate the compost pile by using a tractor, by hand, or by inserting PVC pipes into the pile to act as chimneys. If you do not roll the pile, composting will still occur, but it will take longer.

5

Add water. Curing manure requires a certain amount of moisture, and if your pile is not exposed to rain or if you are composting during a dry season, you may have to add moisture.

Test the moisture in the pile by squeezing a portion of the material from the center of the compost manure. If a few drops appear, the compost is in good shape. If there are a lot of drops or too few you will need to adjust the moisture content.

6

Examine the compost to be sure the manure has cured sufficiently for use. The compost should be dark, crumbly, and soil-like. The temperature should be within a few degrees of the air temperature, and the volume will have decreased to 1/3 the size of the original pile.

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